By

A host of Britain's most esteemed thinkers have joined a campaign
that calls for university autonomy, research free from short-term
economic concerns and higher education that allows graduates to lead
richer and more rewarding lives.
David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins and Andrew Motion are among the
founding members of the Council for the Defense of British Universities
(CDBU). It will be officially launched on November 13 and will
initially focus on building its membership and developing its public
agenda.
The council’s initial 65-strong membership includes 16 peers from
the House of Lords plus a number of prominent figures from outside the
academy, including the broadcaster Lord Bragg of Wigton and Alan
Bennett. Its manifesto calls for universities to be free to pursue
research "without regard to its immediate economic benefit” and stresses
“the principle of institutional autonomy.”
It adds that the "function of managerial and administrative staff is to facilitate teaching and research."
Sir Keith Thomas, historian, former president of the British Academy and a member of the council, writes in this week’s Times Higher Education
that the level of “audit and accountability” demanded of universities
by the government is "excessive, inefficient and hugely wasteful."
In addition, "the very purpose of the university is grossly distorted by the attempt to create a market in higher education."
He calls for Britain's higher education funding councils to be
scrapped and replaced by bodies truly independent of government. Thomas,
a distinguished fellow of All Souls College of Oxford University, was
primarily responsible for drawing up the manifesto and instigating the
council following a conference in London titled "Universities Under
Attack," held in November 2011.
Howard Hotson, professor of early modern intellectual history at
the University of Oxford, has also been involved with the CDBU since its
inception.
He stressed that the launch was designed to build membership rather
than put forward fully formed proposals, with a manifesto designed to
appeal to a “broad church” that would have to do “a lot of thinking”
before it put its full case to the public and the state.
Membership is open to anyone, not just academics, and contributions to the organization will be voluntary, he said.

By

A host of Britain's most esteemed thinkers have joined a campaign
that calls for university autonomy, research free from short-term
economic concerns and higher education that allows graduates to lead
richer and more rewarding lives.
David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins and Andrew Motion are among the
founding members of the Council for the Defense of British Universities
(CDBU). It will be officially launched on November 13 and will
initially focus on building its membership and developing its public
agenda.
The council’s initial 65-strong membership includes 16 peers from
the House of Lords plus a number of prominent figures from outside the
academy, including the broadcaster Lord Bragg of Wigton and Alan
Bennett. Its manifesto calls for universities to be free to pursue
research "without regard to its immediate economic benefit” and stresses
“the principle of institutional autonomy.”
It adds that the "function of managerial and administrative staff is to facilitate teaching and research."
Sir Keith Thomas, historian, former president of the British Academy and a member of the council, writes in this week’s Times Higher Education
that the level of “audit and accountability” demanded of universities
by the government is "excessive, inefficient and hugely wasteful."
In addition, "the very purpose of the university is grossly distorted by the attempt to create a market in higher education."
He calls for Britain's higher education funding councils to be
scrapped and replaced by bodies truly independent of government. Thomas,
a distinguished fellow of All Souls College of Oxford University, was
primarily responsible for drawing up the manifesto and instigating the
council following a conference in London titled "Universities Under
Attack," held in November 2011.
Howard Hotson, professor of early modern intellectual history at
the University of Oxford, has also been involved with the CDBU since its
inception.
He stressed that the launch was designed to build membership rather
than put forward fully formed proposals, with a manifesto designed to
appeal to a “broad church” that would have to do “a lot of thinking”
before it put its full case to the public and the state.
Membership is open to anyone, not just academics, and contributions to the organization will be voluntary, he said.